Project Statement Samples

Project Statement Samples

The Project Statement is the central element of a Fulbright application, whether for teaching or for research. Here, in only five pages, applicants bring together their backgrounds, particular interests, teaching and research philosophies, relevant experience, adaptability, planned activities and anticipated outcomes in a coherent, well-written statement addressed to peer reviewers in the U.S. and abroad. There is no template for a “successful” Project Statement. Like each applicant, everyone is unique and individual.

Guidance for Project Statement

All applications require a project statement. This is your opportunity to explain your specific strengths as a candidate to reviewers and potential hosts. It must be clear and compelling to audiences both inside and outside your field.

Format Requirements:

3 to 5 pages, single spaced, 12-point or larger font size

Submission as a PDF attachment

Headers and/or bullets to organize and convey key elements may be helpful

Content Guidelines:

What you propose to do

How you propose to do it

Why it is important

What benefits it will produce for the hosts, for the discipline, for the applicant and the home institution

Teaching Awards specifically describe:

Why this country? What can you contribute to the host institution and what will it mean for you professionally?

What experiences have prepared you to teach in this country? Experiences that indicate your collegiality, adaptability, cultural sensitivity, ability to serve as a cultural ambassador.

What have you taught, how do you teach, your involvement in curriculum planning, thesis advising, or administrative responsibilities?

What courses do you propose to teach? Do you plan other teaching activities? (seminars, curriculum and program development, public lectures)

How you will adapt your materials to the culture and language of the host country?

How will you adapt to a pedagogically different teaching environment in which the first language for your students may not be English?

What impact do you expect on your teaching and/or professional work?

How do you expect to use the experience upon your return? (institutional collaboration, student and faculty exchange)

Research Awards specifically describe:

What do you propose to do? State clearly your objectives, methodology and the nature of your research (quantitative or qualitative.)

What is the academic and professional context of the project? Include a bibliography (not exceeding 3 pages) referring to the leading works by others and the current state of research in the field.

What professional experience prepared you to successfully accomplish this project?

Why does it need to be done? What significance does it hold for your discipline, your development, the host country’s benefit?

How will you carry out the proposed research? (methodology, logistics, time frame)

How feasible is your project in terms of resources and amount of time allocated?

Why does it need to be done in this country? What research facilities and resources are found in the host country?

Both the teaching and the research components, using the above suggestions.

Match your teaching and research time allocations to any specifics given in the award description (e.g., if the award denotes 80% teaching and 20% research, then the project statement should reflect this requirement).

Lacking a specific percentage requirement, you should address both the teaching and research components adequately. If you have any questions about the percentages, consult with your potential host or contact the appropriate CIES program officer.

Previous Fulbright grantees should also address:

What accomplishments and contributions resulted from your earlier grant(s)

How this grant will build on your previous Fulbright experience

Sample Opening Statements

As a Fulbright Scholar, I would hope to teach the basic course in U.S. constitutional law for the University of XXX described in Award #XXXX from the same fundamentally interdisciplinary perspective in which I was trained and on which I rely in my own research. Such a course would introduce students to American constitutionalism not only in its traditional doctrinal and case-based dimensions—the way I must by necessity teach the subject to my own students at XXX, as indicated by the course syllabus included with this application—but also for its historical, cultural, political, and theoretical significance. I taught a similar, rather brief class for … at the University of XXX in the summer of 2005, and the experience impressed upon me the wisdom of teaching constitutional law from an explicitly interdisciplinary perspective to international students. The course I would hope to teach thus would not simply be the American equivalent of a European course in legal dogmatics with a different set of background norms, but instead, a course in American legal culture broadly conceived—a class about American legal consciousness as revealed through its constitutional traditions. I believe such an approach is the most justifiable from an academic perspective; I also know that it is the most fun and exciting for students.

I believe my extensive educational experience—particularly in the areas of the sociology [of my field]—would be of benefit to the University. The University already has in place a variety of outstanding programs in the field, but my nearly 40 years of teaching, research, and professional activity …should allow me to contribute to these programs. In turn, I am confident that my own understanding of aging—especially from a comparative perspective—would profit from exposure to issues confronting European societies and other nations represented in the University’s programs in [my areas of specialization].

Southern writers… have long recognized that an intense focus on the peculiarities of place offers an unparalleled opportunity for exploring universal and international themes. More recently, [scholars] have noted that throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century dissonant black and white southern voices drew literary and intellectual sustenance from international traditions and discourses. During and after my proposed Fulbright lectureship, I will seek to foster the creation of learning and research communities at home and abroad that explore the efforts of [foreign] and American writers to use their “little postage stamp[s]” to interrogate universal themes such as military defeat, racial difference, the formation of public identities, and the struggles of the disabled. The seminars and classes that I participate in before and after my proposed lectureship will draw comparisons among some of [host country]’s and America’s most famous novels and short stories. In so doing, I hope to gain new insights into the role that perspective and background play in our interpretation of what initially appears to be highly individualized and local narratives. I hope to share our collective experiences with a larger audience in a journal article or book ….

Muslim women’s education has recently attracted the increased attention of academics as well as policy makers. Some of this attention has focused on the modern education of women, especially in the light of current events such as the Taliban’s harsh restrictions against women in Afghanistan. There is also a growing body of research on female scholars in earlier periods of Islamic history. In particular, the participation of women as students and teachers of religious knowledge enshrined in the sayings (?ad?th) of Prophet Mu?ammad has proved a fertile field for examining not only gender history but also broader issues in Muslim social and intellectual history. Research in this area, however, has focused on material found in published chronicles and biographical dictionaries. I propose to use the Fulbright fellowship opportunity in Syria to explore archival sources that remain underutilized in the quest to reconstruct women’s lives as scholars and students.

Identity construction is a complex and often contradictory process by which people come to see themselves in particular ways, either individually or collectively. It is a continuous, multifaceted, and creative process of self-fashioning whereby we communicate to others who we are, but even more importantly a process where we convince ourselves who we are and then “try to act as though [we] are who [we] say [we] are” [author cited]. The process of identity construction takes place within and around specific social and cultural systems, and people develop situative identities—such as “mother” or “politician” or “teacher”—by which they identify themselves and are identified by others. Holland and her colleagues refer to these contexts as “figured worlds” (p. 41) which can be understood as a complex web of histories, social encounters, forms of knowledge, rituals, and processes/actions. It is through participation in these figured worlds that we become at once social products and social producers. This project is theoretically grounded in this, and similar, work on idenIn applying for Fulbright support to spend a year teaching and learning in [host country] I hope to knit together several aspects of my life—my abilities as a teacher who integrates research and teaching in a liberal arts environment, my skills at program development honed through being department chair and member of the leadership team for our new science facilities, and especially as co-advisor to my institution’s semester program in [host country] that has been on-going since 1986. I am anxious to spend time in [host country] learning and collaborating with fellow professors and college leaders on our mutual educational missions. [Host country] is in a phase of rapid transition demographically, socially and in its educational needs and goals making this an exciting time to visit as a faculty member and in particular as a faculty member who guides students from my institution on projects in [host country] Finally, I hope to reconnect with former colleagues in [host country] with research expertise in my fields of physiology and by traveling to a number of institutions for seminars and departmental visits.

As we move into the 21st century, many national and local education systems are considering how best to meet the changing needs and demands they face. One result is an increased interest in teachers, since they are the ones who will eventually implement any changes being considered. Understanding who teachers are, and how they see themselves, becomes increasingly important as educators, policy makers, and communities consider what they want their educational system to do and be. This seems especially important at this time, when many teacher training programs, such as those in [host country], are facing major reforms and restructuring. Educational research and literature often recognize that teacher identity is a key factor that influences teachers' sense of purpose, self-efficacy, motivation, commitment, job satisfaction and effectiveness, and that teacher identities are shaped by the broader social, cultural, political, and economic conditions in which they live and work…. While the concept of identity is often cited in educational research and theory, critical explorations into individual teachers' personal and professional identities have been relatively rare, as have attempts to understand that identity construction within a national context. Yet such analysis is important if we want to understand how the teaching force is constructed as a historical, political, and social actor within a particular national context. In this way, we gain insight into the ways in which teacher identities influence teacher practice, and how that practice is related to broader social and cultural contexts.

As a Fulbright-Museums Quartier Artist-in-Residence in [host city], I will work on an animated documentary film tracing the history of my [relative’s] treasured collection of exlibris, or bookplates. This collection consisted of over 200 beautiful small works of art on paper that he commissioned, as well as hundreds of exlibris he exchanged with fellow collectors. My [relative] created his first exlibris when he was thirteen years old, ordering from a stationary store a rubber stamp with the words “Ex libris. Possessoris. [name].” He went on to commission artists to create exlibris commemorating important events in his life and themes of interest to him. My grandfather’s collection was seized by the Austrian National Library in 1938. The film, tentatively entitled Ex Libris, will raise questions of imprint, memory, loss, and longing. Through factual exposition including historical and legal documentation, visual exploration through animated visions of the small works of art which were my grandfather’s legacy, and through memory which reveals and distorts the truth of human history, the film will explore attachment to lost objects, objects that might be retrievable, unlike lost and murdered family members.

I am interested in this Fulbright award at the [host university] because, as an American politics scholar, I am ideally suited to teach courses that are central to its Program in Global and American Studies. I have expertise in the subject area, having published several books and a number of book chapters and articles on American political institutions and politics. I also have the ability to incorporate a comparative element into the instruction of American politics to make my lecturing understandable, relevant, and enjoyable to an international audience and the enthusiasm and facility to collaborate with international scholars abroad. My administrative experience with [home institution’s] Program in Public Affairs, which is similar to [host institution] Global and American Studies Program, will also aid me in curriculum development and the creation of study abroad opportunities at both institutions. A Fulbright award will provide me the opportunity to extend [home institution] existing relationship with the [host institution] to our regional campus in [city], which is currently focusing on internationalizing its curricula and placing greater emphasis on global studies.

The number of blind persons in [host country] in 2000 was estimated to be 18.7 million with an expected increase to 24.1 million in 2010, and to 31.6 million in 2020 Education and rehabilitation programs have grown over the years to meet these individuals’ needs. For example, in 2004 the National Initiative for the Blind, a joint venture between [institutions] was established to teach mothers of children with visual impairment the basics skills of Braille so they can provide early intervention to their children to improve their literacy and computer skills. …

The Fulbright Scholar Program would enable me to build on my knowledge by using the expertise I have gained over the years. Teaming with [host institution] faculty to move a vision education program forward is a challenge I welcome at this point in my career. More importantly, a global perspective of the lives of people with visual impairment will increase my repertoire of techniques and strategies these individuals use for independent functioning. The question is “what can I learn from [host country] faculty and individuals with visual impairments to improve my teaching and research activities in the United States?”

Sample Project Overviews

By the fall of 2009, the proposed beginning of this fellowship, the European Union will have accumulated over four years of experience with greenhouse gas emissions reduction under Phases I & 2 of their Emissions Trading System (ETS) I propose to examine allowance allocations, one of the most important aspects of this program and critical for the design of a future greenhouse gas control program in the United States.

I propose to examine the key political-economy-question—how do you allocate the allowances? From a pure economic perspective, this question is irrelevant. It does not matter whether allowances are sold or given away—the scarcity of the allowances will ensure they will have a price that reflects the marginal cost of controlling GHG emissions. However, from a distributional perspective, the allocation of allowances is the question. It is estimated that the value of allowances in the U.S. under a system similar to that of the EU ETX, would be over $100 billion. Clearly, if you are a firm producing greenhouse gases, it matters to you whether you have to buy them or get them for free….The other side of the auction question is what would be done with the revenue raised from an allowance auction? Again, powerful political interests square off over this question. Some say the money should be used to offset the impact of higher fuel costs on the poor. Some say use it to promote R&D in renewable energy and conservation. The coal industry wants it spent on R&D for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) that will allow the continued use of coal by capturing and storing CO2 emissions underground. It could also be used to reduce other taxes, pay down the debt, fund social security or anything on which the government spends money. There is also the “Christmas Tree” approach of a little something for everyone.

This project begins with the hypothesis that the pedagogical perspectives and practices of teachers will be influenced by their personal and professional identities. These identities are shaped and mitigated by race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and other personal characteristics. However, they also are influenced by the institutional structures and ideological traditions embedded within the national educational context. The goal is to understand the ways in which [host country] teachers experience and understand what it means to be a teacher, and how these experiences and understandings are mitigated by the different identity positions they hold. Using multiple methods, including survey, observations, interviews, and journaling, the project will map the teacher-identity landscape and how teachers navigate within this landscape in order to provide a broader understanding of what it means to be a teacher in [host country] in the 21st century.

This interdisciplinary research and teaching project has several clearly-defined goals. The overarching theme is to increase understanding of the interrelatedness of Iceland’s climate and society, especially over the last 300 or so years. More specifically, to evaluate and analyze the nature of environmental and economic impacts on Icelandic society during this time period, and to consider what strategies may have been used by the population of the time to adapt to, or mitigate, these impacts. Using historical documentary evidence, the general goals of the project include: a) The construction of time series of climate data for temperature and precipitation; b) The updating of the record of incidence of sea ice reaching the coasts of Iceland; c) The evaluation of sea fisheries history in the context of climatic and environmental changes; d) The evaluation of historical variations in grass growth and hay yield in the light of both economic practices and climatic variations; e) The evaluation of the impacts of volcanic eruptions, avalanches and other environmental phenomena on Icelandic society. The information gathered will form the basis for a book to be entitled: Climate and Society in [Host Country]

Sample Addressing Why the Host Country Was Chosen

Why [host country]?

The passage of more than thirty years has not dimmed the many pleasant memories of my childhood adventure to [host country]. The year was 1977. Spurred on by my father’s longstanding interest in [host country], my parents, older sister and I boarded what seemed to me at the time like an impossibly large plane for an unbelievably long journey. I was all of 11 years old. We were on a modest, group bus excursion designed for foreign tourists. What I remember most – and most fondly – are the people of [host country]. Americans were not common visitors in those days so we created a bit of a stir when we were outside the main tourist sites.

This project is clearly about [host country] teachers, and as such it is imperative to see and speak with them within the context in which they live and work. In addition, the Research Center in [host city] offers access to several resources that will be indispensable. First, there are faculty members who work with future teachers in their disciplines. Several of them also have an interest in identity work and the issues presented in this project, including the Center’s director, and several publications from the University Press deal with identity. These connections will be invaluable during the course of this project.

The [host country] also offers many opportunities for the study of constitutionalism, political institutions, and public policy. It has undergone revolutionary change since declaring its independence … and joining the European Union …, and it continues to evolve politically. The country has developed into a stable multi-party democracy, and its success in this regard can be attributed, among other things, to its consensus building political culture, open economy and early experiences with democracy. Yet, although it is one of the more prosperous countries in the European Union, it still faces public policy challenges. This makes it a country ideally situated for comparative study along with other former Eastern bloc countries, European Union countries, emerging democracies, and the United States. A Fulbright award will provide the opportunity to broaden my understanding of American politics through this comparative analysis. This knowledge will extend to the classroom and my scholarship as I incorporate this information into my lectures and research.

Sample Teaching Style Descriptions

Over the course of my career, I have taught a wide variety of courses: principles of my field, research methods, quantitative analysis, population, social stratification, social structures, ethical issues in social science research, aging and social change, and ethical issues. I am quite comfortable with classes of different sizes, at different levels, and with various teaching styles. Early in my career, I received funding from the National Science Foundation to create an inductive, data-based approach to teaching introductory courses and students. More recently, I have been delivering distance learning courses via two-way interactive television. I was instrumental in developing both the Minor and the Certificate Program in my field at the University and, along with other colleagues, have been responsible for the administrative oversight of these programs. My various curricular contributions were recognized in1984 by receipt of the Outstanding Educator and in 2002 by receipt of the Named Award from the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.

Due to my 29 years of experience in the education and rehabilitation of people with visual impairments, with 19 years of the 29 years spent in the personnel preparation of vision professionals, I am in a unique position to assist in a university’s program development and delivery efforts focusing on this area. Of the 19 years of university teaching experience, 15 of those years were spent offering course work via distance education methods. These methods included traveling to satellite campuses to offer face-to-face courses on weekends, as well as offering course work via interactive television and the Internet.

Allow me to single out three aspects of my teaching philosophy that may be of relevance. First, I contend that some exposure to my area of specialization ought to be a required part of every college and university curriculum…it behooves us to infuse specific content into the higher education curriculum and to familiarize college and university students with the nature of the changes that are occurring and the likely implications and challenges that follow from this global phenomenon….

A second emphasis in my teaching relates to the synergistic relationship between teaching and research. It has been an axiom of my pedagogical approach that learning is enhanced if students are exposed to the latest scholarly research, if they come to see knowledge acquisition as an on-going process, and if they witness the excitement of knowledge discovery. Thus, I try to include in all of my courses a glimpse of my research as well as the research of others. I also make an effort to acquaint students with different methodological approaches—with “ways of knowing”—and with the limits of what we know and where the major research gaps are to be found. If not producers, it is important for students at least to become intelligent and critical consumers of research….

A third and final emphasis in my teaching arises from an understanding that mentorship occurs at times and in ways that might surprise us. I have come to see that classroom teaching itself is often an unintended and unconscious form of mentorship. In a sense, we’re always “on,” whether we realize it or not. Sociologists might refer to this as a latent function of our classroom role. The most recent example comes from my teaching experience in Romania. At the conclusion of my course on the Sociology of Aging, the students invited me to a going-away occasion at a local bistro in Bucharest. As I chatted with each of them, a young graduate student made a comment that left a powerful impression on me. “Thank you,” Ana said, and I expected to hear something to the effect that she had enjoyed the course. But she took me aback when she said, “you taught me how to teach!” Her comment brought home the power of mentorship—not only were the students learning from what I had to say, but they were also being exposed to a more informal and interactive model of classroom pedagogical style, one that was somewhat different from that to which they were accustomed.

Upon leaving industry, a career in education began. I developed the first university course and edited the first trade book on web globalization management. The traditional classroom experience offered the opportunity to connect with the students physically in front of me. The online teaching platform has now allowed me reach a wider audience. For the past several years, I have been teaching distance education courses in the intercultural communication and international business areas. I am proud to have the distinction of having taught students logging on from all of the seven continents of the world. As an avid globalist, I am convinced that educating students about the importance of intercultural understanding, despite their background or location, remains relevant across borders. I am currently facilitating a course on intercultural communication with students from 15 different countries. I have also been honored as an Honorary Recognized Teacher of the [university].

There are three components at the heart of my philosophy of teaching; they guide my role in the classroom. First, I feel I have a personal obligation to prepare and conduct courses that are intellectually engaging, informative, and rigorous. This requires that I prepare detailed syllabi, specific assignments and examination study guides, and clear criteria to guide my evaluation of students’ work. …I understand and appreciate my responsibility to provide students with substantive information and marketable skills such as critical thinking and writing….Second, I encourage a stimulating, safe learning environment to ensure that students are eager and comfortable about their participation. I treat students respectfully, and ask that they treat their peers with the same level of respect. I encourage a marketplace of ideas and always solicit participation in the classroom. I do not teach at students. Rather, my lectures promote a dialogue about the material. Third, I help students understand how education prepares them for the future and assist them in planning their careers. I constantly stress the relevance of the subject matter, and I use real world examples to illustrate the practical application of the information and skills learned in class. I also promote service activities as part of a well-rounded education and motivate students to responsibly contribute to the community. And, because graduates will likely enter the job force or seek new opportunities upon leaving the University, I encourage students to pursue their educational and vocational goals and assist them in accomplishing them using a variety of methods, from talking about education or employment options and helping with searches, to inspiring them to “think outside the box” and consider a more innovative or novel path.

Sample Descriptions of How Teaching Style Will Be Adapted

Ironically, some of my [previous] success in teaching my European students probably reflects what I did in response to my own lack of linguistic skills. I slowed down my delivery, minimized the use of specialized jargon and idiomatic expressions, and begged my students to let me know when my words puzzled them. The students may have also sensed my admiration for their linguistic skills and my gratitude for their willingness to communicate with me in English. They surely sensed my curiosity about their culture, including their nation’s laws and legal system.

I have taught in English to non-native English speakers before, so I have a good sense of how to adapt my teaching style and my courses. I have had many international students come through my classes at US universities over the years, and I also taught non-native speakers in Spain. Generally, in order to aid these students, I speak slowly and try to avoid the use of too much slang. I also try to restate important points in different ways and ask the class to define any unfamiliar words. In [host country], I plan to purposely use a slower rate of speech, particularly in the beginning of the term as students are getting used to my style. I also plan to continue to encourage a great deal of discussion in my courses because this will help students improve their comfort and skill in English. I hope to learn from the students as well, and I hope that we can help each other improve our language skills. I am also willing to give guest lectures in existing courses. I am flexible as to the topic and willing to tailor lectures to the needs of faculty and students in the broader program. I understand that the reading load in graduate courses can be daunting for native speakers as well as non-native English speakers. The attached syllabi show reading loads for two different types of courses. The [first course’s] readings were chosen to be online for ease of access, and I included fewer readings due to the non- native English students. The [second] class represents a typical US-style reading load. I would likely modify these some for the [host country] students. That said, these students are graduate students learning in a primarily English environment, so I would expect that they should be able to handle most of the works I would assign. We have many international students in our graduate program at [home institution], and the reading load is typically challenging, but manageable for them.

I plan to provide digital access to readings as much as possible. My library at [home institution] will be valuable in locating and providing electronic access to many of the journal articles which would be of value in a graduate-level course. I plan to ask the students to write weekly précis on the readings for the week. This will enable me to gauge their level of understanding and clear up any misunderstandings early. I find that the précis works well for American students, and I think that it will work well for [host country] students as well as a tool to synthesize weekly readings and test knowledge and understanding.

Sample of Research Methodology Descriptions

My research methodology requires gathering relevant data from the specified documents and compiling databases in order to analyze the material and arrive at a more complete understanding and historical reconstruction of the lives of selected female scholars. I hope to shed light on the following questions through my research: 1) How did female scholars obtain their education? a) How important were factors such as kinship networks and socio-economic status in providing women access to their education? b) To what extent did women attend classes with other students and/or was their training obtained through private tutoring? 2) Did religious rules regarding veiling, seclusion, and women’s mobility in the public sphere affect the physical circumstances of women’s education? For example, did women interact directly with male students and teachers in formal educational settings, or did they participate through informal spheres such as gatherings in homes, mosques, libraries, and literary salons? 3) Are there any indications of a curriculum—or a set course of study— that a woman had to complete before gaining recognition as a had?th transmitter or as a legal scholar? What credentials qualified women to interpret Islamic law or to transmit had?th ? And how do these compare to the credentials and curricula of contemporary male scholars? 4) To what extent did female scholars obtain an education in a range of religious sciences beyond had?th transmission, such as Islamic law, Qur’ānic exegesis, or poetry?

William Faulkner’s books—first with my teachers at [a previous institution], later at the [another university] and the [a university], then with my students in undergraduate and graduate courses at [another university], and finally with literary critics and historians at the [another university]. Decades ago, I left Mississippi, traveling all over the world and living at various places in the United States, as well as in Germany for four years. During this time, I attended seven different colleges, focusing primarily on southern literature. I have enjoyed studying and living in over fifteen places, affirming my adaptability and collegiality. Each return to my study of William Faulkner’s works, however, enhances my understanding of his fictional Yoknapatawpha County and the Mississippi of my youth. But it was not until I finally visited [host country] decades ago and later began reading Oe Kenzaburo’s novels that I realized the influence and universality of William Faulkner’s vision of a defeated country and a patriarchal society. Being a Fulbright scholar would allow me the chance to work with Japanese students, explaining Faulkner’s writings, as well as the Mississippi of my youth, all the while exploring Oe’s moving works.

This project will utilize both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools, but is rooted in a qualitative epistemological position that recognizes the importance of locating the research within a particular social, cultural, and historical context. It also takes seriously the social construction of these contexts and the identities participants construct within them.

Data Collection
Data collection will consist of surveys, classroom observations and interviews with [host country] teachers, as well as journal logs from teachers. Initially, a survey instrument to measure teacher attitudes and beliefs regarding professional roles and responsibilities will be administered to a broad spectrum of participants (ideally, n=300). Subsequently, a purposeful sample will be identified to participate in the second round of data collection. A structured observation protocol will be developed to aid in field note collection and an interview protocol rooted in the literature will be developed to act as a guide for the semi-structured interviews. Multiple interviews are planned with each participant in order to provide more in-depth data collection and opportunities for follow-up. The goal is to interview approximately 20 participants who embody a range of identity positions and who come from different schools and communities. I will work with [host country] teacher training programs (IUFM), and with faculty at the Research Center in [host city], to identify potential participants. I will also ask teachers to respond to a series of journal prompts over the course of the project that allow them to provide a more detailed and longitudinal view of their daily lives as teachers—their experiences, reactions, beliefs, and ideas about their roles and responsibilities as educators.

A qualitative evaluation shall be utilized for this research project leveraging subjective methods such as interviews and observations to collect substantive and relevant data. These interviews shall be conducted with practicing diplomats from the [one host institution] as well as visiting diplomats to the [another host institution] conferences. Such a qualitative approach is valuable here due to the varying experiences of the diplomats in [host country] and other country cultural situations. Upon collecting the qualitative data derived from said interviews, careful analysis shall be done (both manually and utilizing nVivo software) to prepare a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) to analyze how to best customize the course to the target student populations. Recent research on intercultural communication and instructional design shall be consulted to validate collected data. A bibliography containing such research sources has been submitted separately with this Fulbright application. The research from this Fulbright project shall become an asset to the established body of literature on cross-cultural issues, however now with a special [host region] point of interest. As for my own research efforts, I will have the opportunity to implement by intercultural education expertise within another country and assist a recognized university in developing a ground-breaking and vital course.

I have an established collaboration with [host scholar] from the Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, [host institution] We have already collaborated on a project to develop an annamox culture that anaerobically oxidizes ammonia for nitrogen removal from wastewater…. His extensive network of contacts will optimize my time in [host country] by providing ready-made avenues for me to contribute my knowledge of environmental science and engineering to several [host country] universities and for me to learn as much as possible about the [host country] approaches to nutrient removal and decentralized sanitation.

During the proposed visit, we will investigate the application of the annamox process to remove nitrogen in domestic wastewater. …This process is called annamox (for anaerobic ammonium oxidation). The conventional approach to remove nitrogenous pollution in wastewater involves the aerobic biological oxidation (nitrification) of NH4 …However, this process typically requires separate reactors for the two processes, nitrifying bacteria are relatively slow growing, and the denitrification process requires carbon that is not always available … These probes allow detection of the anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria by techniques such as fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). In FISH, microscopic visualization of specific microbes occurs in relatively intact samples, which allows insight into the spatial distribution of ....Work at the host institution thus provides an opportunity for me to work on a very cutting edge microbial process with a waste stream very different in nature from the waste I typically see.

Sample Descriptions of How Research Will Be Disseminated

In order for any project to have an impact in the world it must be disseminated to a wider audience. This project could be important for those entities responsible for preparing future teachers as well as for policy makers involved in educational endeavors, and every effort will be made to communicate results to these constituencies. Specifically, results from this project will be disseminated at major national and international conferences in the U.S. and Europe, such as the [a group of professional associations]. In addition, results will be communicated through publications in journals such as [group of professional journals]. As a praxis-oriented researcher, I will also share results with those teachers, administrators, and policy makers who are involved in the project. The goal will be to have broader conversations about what the research means and what we can do with the results, as individuals and as institutions.

We will disseminate our scholarly findings in scientific and engineering journals and conferences. We expect that biomaterials, biomechanics, tissue engineering, physics, and cardiovascular mechanics audiences will find our results interesting and exciting. We will also disseminate our educational work in engineering education conferences and journals (e.g., ASEE) and by publishing the aforementioned co-edited laboratory manual.

Lingala is undoubtedly the single most important and influential African language in Central Africa …. Lingala is the dominant trade language along the mighty Congo River (the 2nd largest river in the world after the Amazon) and its dozens of major tributaries. It is also the dominant language of daily communication in Kinshasa, the capital city (with an estimated population of over 8,000,000), and serves as the official language of the armed and security forces and the (Catholic) diocese of Kinshasa. With the prospect for peace, democratization, and socio-economic development in DRC and its emergence as the leading economic powerhouse in Africa, Lingala will very likely become the quintessential lingua franca of central, eastern, and southern Africa. It is in some respects in Central Africa what Kiswahili is to Eastern Africa….Overall, it is estimated that Lingala is spoken as a first, second, and additional language by over 25,000,000 people in Central Africa, with DRC and ROC as the primary loci. With the eventual socio-economic development of DRC and political stability, its emergence as the leading engine of Africa will make Lingala a critical investment language. Hence, the publication of a comprehensive reference grammar is warranted and most propitious. In spite of this functional importance and potential across a variety of life domains, however, Lingala, like many other major African linguae francae, remains grossly understudied. While there are a few old grammatical monographs in English and French, textbooks of varying quality, and dictionaries, there exists no reference grammar of any sort. As a member of the estimated 500 Bantu languages sub-family that dominates the Niger-Congo phylum, Lingala represents not only a gold mine in its structural complexity as a Bantu language, but also opens a window into Central Bantu languages that it typifies in all areas of the grammar. As such it invites and demands an in-depth analysis to discover and explicate its structural complexity, and thereby extend and test current linguistic theories. The Comprehensive Reference Grammar of Lingala envisaged here seeks to fill this gap and advance our knowledge in Bantu and general linguistics. It will also serve as a basic tool for researchers, translators, book-writers, and learners of the language. And in the absence other comprehensive reference grammars of any other Bantu languages, it is expected to become a model for the production of similar reference tools for other Bantu linguaefrancae, as well as serve the wider constituencies of learners and scholars in interested institutions, and government functionaries in the diplomatic corps, business people, etc.

Sample Outcomes and Contributions

I anticipate that after my research in [host country], I will be in a strong position to begin writing a monograph that focuses on women’s education and their scholarly networks in medieval Syria, which is the ultimate goal of my research. Such a publication will be of interest not only to scholars of medieval Islam and women’s studies but also to those who are interested in understanding the historical contexts of Muslim educational systems. Further, I expect that this study can contribute to future work in the field of comparative religions as there are a number of intriguing parallels between medieval Muslim female scholars and their Christian counterparts in Western Europe. Finally, this research will enhance my teaching at Lafayette College. I have found that my passion for my scholarship is best communicated to my students through concrete examples from research that I have personally undertaken. Thus I hope to enliven my teaching and encourage my students to explore worlds beyond those readily accessible through our library collections.

As a Fulbright Research Fellow, I aim not only to contribute to the fields of gender studies and Muslim social history, but also to demonstrate the tremendous potential of archival research on women in countries such as Syria. Research and publications that highlight the accomplishments of medieval Muslims, especially women, in Syria are also likely to generate positive interest and draw greater attention to the rich and diverse history of this region.

Results from this study could be useful for policymakers, educators, and teacher educators as they work to construct programs and policies for preparing and maintaining a high quality teaching force in any country. Having a clearer understanding of how teachers perceive themselves and their work, within a national context, may help us reconsider the ways in which we prepare teachers; it may also help us reconsider what we want public schooling to do and be in the 21st century. Given recent reforms of the teacher training system in [host country], and ongoing dialogue about further reform, this project may help shed light on teacher (and teachers in training) responses to these. It may also provide insight into what these reforms mean to teachers and what impact they may have in the classroom. While of interest to [host country], the project also holds potential more broadly for those interested in teacher preparation and in education. Given that European borders are becoming more transparent and the work force more mobile, this project could be of interest to many European Union countries. In addition, universities and states in the U.S. (along with the federal government) continue to grapple with how best to prepare teachers who can meet the changing demographic and employment needs of the country. At the [home institution], we consistently work to review how best to prepare our teachers and attempt to align our program accordingly. Given that several major universities in [home state] recently failed their review by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), we need to consider whether our current programs accomplish their goals. Having a better understanding of the landscape of teacher identity could help us as we reconsider our own system of teacher preparation. Within the field of sociology, this project will help situate the work on teacher identity within a more globalized context. The project also moves my own work on identity forward, and allows me to work with a new population, teachers, since most of my previous work was with students. I believe engaging in this project will enrich my teaching as well as my research, providing me with greater insight into teacher beliefs and identities, which will help me connect to current and future teachers in new ways.

I expect that my work in [host country] under the Fulbright award will benefit both me and [host], our academic institutions, and society in general. The Fulbright award will provide me and [host] the opportunity to learn new techniques and share information, to publish research findings, and to build new professional relationships in [host country] and other parts of Europe. For me personally, I will enjoy the benefits of a sabbatical which include time to reflect on my career and the direction of my work, physical and mental renewal, and exposure to a different culture. I feel that I am at the right stage of my career for this experience. Our academic institutions will benefit from increased faculty performance and satisfaction, enhanced reputation due to the prestige associated with the Fulbright award, and potentially increased grant funding. Society will benefit from the discovery of new methods for treating and preventing bacterial infections.

Staphylococcus epidermidis is the primary cause of infections of indwelling medical devices such as intravascular catheters, cerebrospinal fluid shunts, peritoneal dialysis catheters, aortofemoral grafts, intraocular lenses, prosthetic cardiac valves, cardiac pacemakers, and prosthetic joints (Huebner & Goldman, 1999). S. epidermidis is a numerically important member of the human skin and mucous membrane microflora which can be transmitted to the surfaces of these devices when they are implanted or manipulated (Mermel, 2000). S. epidermidis grows on medical devices as an adherent biofilm consisting of cells enmeshed in a sticky, extracellular slime that is firmly attached to the underlying surface (Christensen et al., 1982). The slime matrix makes S.epidermidis biofilms highly resistant to antibiotics and host defenses and nearly impossible to eradicate (Costerton et al., 1995). Chronic infection of an indwelling device by S. epidermidis acts as a septic focus that can lead to osteomyelitis, acute sepsis, and death, particularly in immunocompromised patients. S. epidermidis is the leading cause of hospital-acquired bloodstream, cardiovascular, eye, ear, nose and throat infections (Vuong & Otto, 2002), and a major pathogen in catheterized AIDS patients (Tacconelli et al., 1997) and premature newborns (Ohlsson & Vearncombe, 1987). Understanding the mechanisms by which S. epidermidis biofilm cells increase their resistance to killing by antimicrobial agents can lead to the development of novel methods for treating and preventing S. epidermidis infections.

The adhesive forces acting between fibers within native and engineered polymer matrices are fundamental to the mechanical behavior of the materials. Data from tests on model electrospun systems will provide insight into the physics underlying the observed mechanical properties of fibrous scaffolds. Our results will allow for the creation and validation of multi-scale mathematical models of scaffolds15,32 and thus facilitate the custom design of scaffolds for particular applications requiring specific macroscopic mechanical behavior. Further, the methods developed may also be used for probing the interaction between fibrils and fibers in native tissues such as heart valves to better understand the etiology of their mechanical behavior.

I particularly look forward to the new challenges that I will face in [host country] as an outsider confronting my own limited knowledge of [host country language] and culture. My new environment will force me to question, further refine, and gain new insights into time-worn learning activities and teaching habits. I look forward to offering [local] students a unique perspective; at the same time, I realize that my students would teach me so much. In every course, I teach in a collaborative, student-centered setting where we strive to discover broad global perspectives through the lens of literature and wisdom of experience. I want my students to transcend their time and place by thinking critically, analyzing creatively, and reflecting carefully from various perspectives. I look forward to working with my students and colleagues to forge a new teaching and learning environment that draws from the best of both our cultures to foster honest dialogue.

As a Fulbright lecturer in [host country], I would seek to promote cultural sensitivity and understanding in myself and others. I would seek out socially appropriate and constructive strategies for challenging myself and my students to move beyond the fixed boundaries of ours lives and to open our hearts and souls to diverse people, cultures, and ideas. I would cherish the opportunity to continue to move beyond the rigid boundaries of my own upbringing and, most importantly, to help my students to do the same. I would savor this opportunity to study systematically in a collaborative setting with diverse students, to develop a broader and more scholarly theoretical and historical base for my teaching and research, and to share my expertise and my own first-hand accounts of life in the South with students and colleagues. I have been preparing all my life for this opportunity to enrich my own teaching and scholarship as well as the lives of others at home and abroad.

During my time in [host country], I will offer seminars and lectures of interest to the students and faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences at the [host institution]. These will focus on identity and its relationship to modern life and on education and its relationship to broader historical, social, political, and economic forces and structures. I will also offer workshops on qualitative research methods for the social sciences. I believe my expertise in qualitative methods, and in the use of software for qualitative methods, will be especially useful for faculty and students. In addition to offering specific seminars, lectures, and workshops, I will serve as a teacher and/or research mentor for students interested in pursuing research on identity and/or education or for students who would like to further their knowledge of qualitative research methods.

Prof. [Name], as part of an existing funded five-year research program, is heading an effort to develop a Masters program in biomaterials. He is interested in incorporating the pedagogy of challenge-based learning throughout this program. In collaboration, we propose to develop and teach interdisciplinary biomaterials laboratory modules. We will use an existing inquiry-based biomechanics lab course that I teach at [home institution] as a template and the electrospinning process as a flexible platform to teach fundamental concepts of biomaterials processing and characterization. Further, I will take this series of lab modules back to my home institution as we currently have no laboratories in the area of biomaterials. Based on our educational efforts including those proposed herein, Prof. [Name] and I will co-edit a textbook on biomechanics, biomaterials, and tissue engineering laboratories – a practical guide to challenge-based labs. Over ten colleagues have offered to write chapters describing their teaching laboratories, and the publishers we have contacted expressed serious interest in producing this text.

The impact of a Fulbright award for my home institution would be significant. If granted, it would be the first Fulbright awarded to a faculty member (home institution). We are a growing teaching and research institution (1900 student FTE; 90 full time faculty) that has undergone significant change over the last twenty-five years. A Fulbright award will benefit our campus generally by illustrating, to faculty and students, the feasibility and rewards of working abroad. It is for this reason that I will make a concerted effort to bring my Fulbright experience to the campus and community by giving presentations based upon my lectures at the [host institution] and research collaborations I intend to pursue while in [host country]. I will also encourage my peers to pursue lecturing and research opportunities in other countries and will reach out to students interested in studying abroad. And, because our campus does not currently have staff dedicated to International Programs, will use my experience to inform our efforts to build such a program. More specifically, I intend to forge a formal relationship between the [host institution] Program in Global and American Studies and [home institution] Program in Public Affairs through faculty and student exchange opportunities. This will help [home institution] achieve its stated goal of internationalizing its curricula and encouraging global studies.

Socrates famously said that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” I believe that if I never take chances and expand my horizons and opportunities, I will not grow as an academic, teacher and scholar. A Fulbright experience would impact my teaching, my scholarship, and my personal relationships. I plan to bring back to my courses in the US experiences I have in [host country], and my teaching will be enhanced by my new experiences and knowledge gained in [host country]. I intend to structure my future courses in the US to reflect and incorporate my … experience. As a social scientist I am quite inquisitive about the world around me. I have a passion for West European Politics, and living in [host country] for four months would be an honor and a privilege. Thus, my scholarship would be enhanced by this experience. Living in [host country] would likely allow me to bring in [host country] as a case in my research projects. I would be able to build professional relationships with other academics as well as social movement leaders which would be useful in structuring future interviews and research projects. Knowledge of German is necessary for some of my research, and [the Fulbright] experience would allow me to build upon and enhance my spoken and written German abilities. I have every expectation that my personal relationships will grow in [host country] as well. I would expect to not just make professional relationships, but build long lasting and personal ties with my colleagues and students in [host country]. I regularly keep in touch with people I have met in different countries throughout my travels and fieldwork as well as with students I encountered in Spain and in different parts of the United States. I fully expect that I would build these ties in [host country] as well and hope to foster future exchanges between [home institution] and the [host institution] with faculty and students. I believe that my time as a visiting professor in [host country] will enhance me personally and professionally and will enrich the [host] university and my home university as well.